Today we get to hear from Dr. Melisa Ortiz Berry of Bushnell University, as she tells the story of her journey from loving Jesus into academia and ministry. Melisa's background is a unique blend of traditions, schools and degrees which have left her with a deep passion for Church history and the role of women in the church. In this episode Dr. Berry talks us through some of the forgotten history of women in the church, as well as some of the problems with the way key Biblical texts have been interpreted about women in the church.

To register for the convention, go to www.nwchristiannetwork.com/nwcc

To register for Dr. Berry's zoom class, go to https://forms.gle/2xRPXwJAE5czS31j7

Theme Music: Simply Beautiful by Scott Riggan (www.scottriggan.com)

In this episode we talk to Dr. Wes Wright, pastor at Santa Clara Church in Eugene and adjunct professor at Bushnell University. Wes is our morning Bible teacher for the 2023 convention. He's also passionate about the importance of Christians being able to think well and deeply about their faith. Tune in to hear Wes talk about his personal journey as a student, as well as why he has spent so much time studying a 17th century French mathematician, Blaise Pascal--and why he thinks Pascal, and other historical thinkers, have so much to offer today's Christians.

To find out more about the Northwest Christian Convention, go to www.nwchristiannetwork.com/nwcc

Theme Music: Simply Beautiful by Scott Riggan (www.scottriggan.com)

What is God doing when the church gathers? Does something happen beyond the "show" that we see? Is there something you can get from your local congregation that you can't get from watching someone else's service on Youtube? In this episode we meet John Mark Hicks, professor of theology, author, and one of the keynote speakers at this year's convention, who introduces to the "Sacrament of the Assembly"--the idea that God is present and active in the congregation, that there is value in our worship services beyond the production value and the attendance numbers.

Links:

For more about the Northwest Christian Convention, go to www.nwchristiannetwork.com/nwcc

For more about the Explorer's Conference at Camp Wi-Ne-Ma, go to www.winema.org/explorers-conference.

Books Referenced:

Theme Music: Simply Beautiful by Scott Riggan (www.scottriggan.com)

In this episode we talk with Lars Coburn, the instructor of our Equip Class on volunteer leadership. This course is unique because it actually comes from an existing class offered in Bushnell's Master's Degree in Leadership--meaning this class is graduate-level content, available in a one-week format. We start out by getting to know more about lars himself, then about Bushnell's leadership program, before moving into talking about the class on volunteers. Lars explains just how helpful this class will for those who leader volunteers in your church, whether they're a pastor or a volunteer themselves. This is an exciting class, so make sure you listen to the conversation!

"Volunteer Leadership" will be held 1-4pm, June 27th-July 1st. Tuition is $120. 

To find out more about the equip courses, go to www.nwchristiannetwork.com/equip

To find out more about the Northwest Christian Convention, go to www.nwchristiannetwork.com/nwcc

Theme Music: Simply Beautiful by Scott Riggan (www.scottriggan.com)

David Bruce is the instructor for this year's Equip Class on grief ministry. In this episode we hear from Dave about how his journey in ministry led him to seek more training and education for ministering to the grieving, how he gained the tools he needed through a Doctor of Ministry at Emmanuel Christian Seminary, and how he put that education to use in his church. Then we talk about the course itself, which Dave has designed to help train Christians in how to minister to the grieving in their congregations through a small group format called Griefworks.

"Griefworks" will be held 1-4pm, June 27th-July 1st. Tuition is $100. 

To find out more about the equip courses, go to www.nwchristiannetwork.com/equip

To find out more about the Northwest Christian Convention, go to www.nwchristiannetwork.com/nwcc

Theme Music: Simply Beautiful by Scott Riggan (www.scottriggan.com)

Host Matt Holmes interviews Derek Voorhees and Marcus Omdahl, who together are teaching an Equip Class on substitute preaching during the '23 convention. Their class is designed to equip non-preachers to prepare and deliver a sermon in their churches. IN this discussion they talk about the importance of having other voices in the pulpit, what it takes to make a substitute preacher (you may be surprised to find you could do it!), and the value of preparing another generation of preachers in our congregation. 

"Substitute Preaching" will be held 1-4pm, June 27-30th. Tuition is $80. 

To find out more about the equip courses, go to www.nwchristiannetwork.com/equip

To find out more about the Northwest Christian Convention, go to www.nwchristiannetwork.com/nwcc

Theme Music: Simply Beautiful by Scott Riggan (www.scottriggan.com)

In this special episode, host Matt Holmes interviews Doug Marshal--pastor, conciliator, communication instructor, pastoral coach, and keynote speaker at this year's Unity Project--about his journey as a pastor, his passion for Christian unity, and his vision for this year's Unity Project event.

The Unity Project is an annual gathering focused on training and encouraging Christians to live our the special command of Jesus that his disciples love each other--even when they disagree. We are not about uniting institutions, but about uniting congregations, uniting Christians with the brothers and sisters right next to them. This year's event takes place on February 25th from 10am to 2pm.

You can find out more, and register, at www.nwchristiannetwork.com/unityproject.

This episode is sponsored by the NWCN Elder-Pastor Retreat. Find out more at www.nwchristiannetwork.com/elder-pastor-retreat

Theme Music: Simply Beautiful by Scott Riggan (www.scottriggan.com)

In the season 2 finale, co-hosts Chad and Becca DeKay talk with Casey and Matt Holmes about why they love the Northwest Christian Convention, and their vision for next year's gathering. The theme is "Through the Church": a celebration of everything God is doing through his church, in EVERY congregation. Speakers will include Dr. Melisa Ortiz-Berry of Bushnell University and Dr. John mark Hicks of Lipscomb University. Listin in on the conversation to find out more about what's going to be happening next June at the Northwest Christian Convention #171!

This episode is sponsored by Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan University. Emmanuel is a seminary offering graduate degrees in Divinity, religion and Christian ministry. Located in Northeast, Tennessee, Emmanuel Christian seminary has a special relationship with the Pacific Northwest, including a scholarship fund specifically for students from the Northwest. To find out more,please visit ecs.milligan.edu or contact Emmanuel’s Admissions Director, Aaron Woods, at [email protected] .

Theme Music: Simply Beautiful by Scott Riggan (www.scottriggan.com)

Produced by: Austin Schumacher.

Co-hosts Matt Holmes & Chad DeKay have an incredible conversation with Dr. A.J. Swoboda covering a wide range of topics, all of them leading to Jesus. They discuss the 'why' behind higher education and how to navigate the cultural hot topic of 'deconstructionism' while still pointing people to Jesus. Dr. A. J. Swoboda (PhD, Birmingham) is a pastor, professor at Bushnell University, and an award-winning writer. For nearly ten years, he served as a college pastor on the campus of the University of Oregon. Then, for another decade, planted and pastored a missional church in urban Portland, Oregon called Theophilus that continues to worship to this day.

More from AJ Swoboda: www.ajswobodawrites.com

Theme Music: Simply Beautiful by Scott Riggan (www.scottriggan.com)

Produced by: Austin Schumacher.

A recap of the week, and a call to the kind of TRUST that leads us to active faith and life transformation not just for us, but for our communities.

Watch the video of this episode here.

Theme Music: Simply Beautiful by Scott Riggan. Find out more at www.scottriggan.com